Latest / The Daily Word / August 9 – Are You Listening?
Transcript
- Cory Barnes: Hello, welcome to another Daily Word Podcast. Pastor Jenny here. It is August 9th, and we are in John chapter 11 as we continue in the life journal reading plan. So today we are in a very famous, I'll say Bible story, because it's not a parable, but it really did happen. Because a parable would be a story Jesus told to help reinforce something he's teaching, help to bring to life a principle or help to kind of share a s a kingdom story he wants people a revelation he wants to give people but this story did in fact happen and that is the raising of Lazarus yes bringing a dead man to life someone who had been dead for four days very very dead he brought back to life so I'm sure you're familiar with this passage But there's a few things that I caught in reading it fresh today that I want to share with you. And you know, if I was writing down fresh or as I'm writing down fresh in my journal today, titling this Are You Listening? Are you listening? And I really kind of the first scripture in this passage of these fifty-seven verses, really the portions talking about Lazarus. are gonna go to verse forty four. But all of Luke chapter eleven is fifty seven verses. but anyway, the very first verse that stuck out to me is gonna be right around verse we'll say verse nine. Let me kinda read this first first few verses to you. So we'll Essentially Jesus, you know, they had heard that Jesus had heard that Lazarus was sick, and Jesus had and that he was close to death. And Jesus had said, Well, his sickness is not going to end in death. this is back up in verse four. And so, although Jesus loved Mary and Martha, he stayed where he was for a few more days. but, you know, and his disciples were like, You you you can't go there again. You were just there and they're trying to kill you. And so verse 11, this is where it really stuck out to me. Then he said, Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up. And the disciples said, Lord, if he is sleeping, he will soon get better. They thought Jesus meant Lazarus was simply sleeping, but Jesus meant Lazarus had died. And so this is the first kind of part where I thought. Are we listening? Because Jesus is talking to his disciples and he's saying one thing, but they're they're not picking up on what Jesus is throwing down. So verse 14, I love this. It says, So he told them plainly, Lazarus is dead. And I just love that because how many times in our lives do we sometimes need J Jesus to just say it plainly? Like he's been, Holy Spirit's been talking to us, kind of nudging us. Maybe he's talking to us through people, he's sharing, revealing things to us over and over again in our daily devotions, writing things down. And then sometimes it's just as clear as day, like Jesus does. He says, Look, Lazarus is dead. Okay. I've been trying to softball this to you, but I'm just I'm not softballing this anymore. He's dead. So He caught their attention then. So then we, of course, they travel, they go to Bethany, and Jesus is informed Lazarus has already been in his grave for four days. So it says Bethany was only a few miles down the road from Jerusalem, and many of the people had come to console Martha and Mary in their loss. And so then Mary goes or I'm sorry, Martha goes and she visits Jesus. And so you see this exchange that happens between Jesus and Martha. And so Jesus tells her in verse 23, Your brother will rise again. And Martha says in verse 24, Yes, he will rise when everyone else rises at the last day. Verse 25, Jesus says, I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha? Listen to her response. She says, Yes, Lord, I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God. And then she returned to Mary. So then the story goes on, of course, and we know that Mary comes and they cry, you know, Jesus is angry at what has taken place, but then they cry together. And he raises Lazarus from the dead. But what did I catch here? Because we see where the disciples, they didn't quite they weren't quite listening, they didn't really quite pick up on what Jesus says. And then I, as I leaned in, I kind of catch Martha doing the same thing. Because Jesus tells her in verse 23, Your brother will rise again. But we see where Martha makes the assumption that Jesus is talking about, yeah, at the very end at the resurrection. But that's not what Jesus was referring to. He says, Yes. I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live even after dying. But then he goes on to say this everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this? But listen to her response one more time. I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God. Her response shows us that Martha's response shows us that she believed Jesus was who he said he was. But there's nothing in the scripture that points us to say Martha believed Jesus was going to do what he said he was going to do. Because Jesus told her, Your brother will rise. Even though she had come and she had said, In verse twenty two, even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask. So she knew she she did profess with her mouth, Well I know God will do whatever you ask. So there was a there was an intellectual belief and thought. Yet we see a disconnect when Jesus really confronts her one on one. I am the resurrection and life, anyone who believes in me will live. Everyone who lives. So we can believe Jesus is who he says he is, and yet there can be a disconnect and trusting that he's actually gonna fulfill and do. What he promised he would do. And how do I know that there was a disconnect for Martha when brass tacks came down to it? Because if you fast forward the tape and you get to verse 39, when Jesus is right before he's about to have Lazarus come out of the grave, Jesus says, Roll the stone aside. And Martha, the dead man's sister, she protested. She said, Lord, he's been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible. Basically, she's like, No, no, no, no, no. I know I really kind of wanted him to rise from the dead, but don't you dare do that. This is gonna be this is not gonna be good. And Jesus looks at her and says, Didn't I tell you that you would see God's glory if you believe? So you he rolled the stone away and then he looked up to heaven. And he did exactly what from the beginning she said. So what do we learn from this today? A couple of things. Are we listening? God is speaking, he's always speaking. And so we want to be listening to first know and trust God is who he says he is. But there are things that God wants to do. There are promises that he has for us. And God is gonna do, he will do what he said he would do. Even when we fail to trust those things that he wants to do in through our life, he he'll reveal plainly to us as we continue to seek him. Martha and Mary, remember Martha is the same Martha that was distracted by many things in hosting. But look in this story, she was the first to meet Jesus. So Martha still had a good relationship with Jesus, despite the fact in that one instance where she was distracted. She obviously had a change of heart. She heard the words of Jesus when she realized Mary had chosen the right thing. So Martha began to draw close to the Lord. So Martha. We need to keep our our heart and our focus turned towards God, to know that He is God, we are not, and to trust Him at His word, to listen for His words. And as we listen for His words, to trust that He will complete and do the things that He says. So my question for you, are you listening? And if you're struggling to hear what He's saying, ask Him to speak more plainly. Say, Lord, I'm not, I'm still not hearing it. Can you speak more plainly? But trust that God will do what he says he would do in your life today. So Lord, we come before you. We thank you for your word. We thank you that you are speaking. We thank you that you are who you say you are. And we thank you that there are things that you're doing in our lives. God, that you're not some far off God that is just a good God. Even if you were just a good God, that if you were just a faithful God, that is good enough. But Lord, you have promises and things that you are doing and acting on our behalf right now, things that you are even going before us, things that you have promised that are still to come. And so, Lord, we stand in hopeful expectation of the things that are on the way, that are coming to bring you glory. We thank you that you are with us and that you are for us. And Lord, even in those moments of waiting, Jesus, that you will sit with us, that you'll weep with us, that you rejoice with us. Thank you, Lord, for your presence in our lives. In Jesus' name. Amen.